Vodafone Idea (Vi) currently offers VoWi-Fi calling service in 12 states of the country. This is such an important service, especially to enhance the coverage experience for the users. It is used by so many people in their homes who do not get proper indoor mobile network coverage. But with Vodafone Idea, it is only available in 12 states including Maharashtra & Goa, UP West, Kolkata, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, UP East, Delhi, Rest of Bengal, Mumbai and Haryana.
Vi does not have the kind of network coverage that Airtel and Jio offer, as per Opensignal. It is therefore difficult to understand why the telco does not invest in rapidly expanding the availability of the service. Every new smartphone launched today comes with support for Wi-Fi calls. People working from their homes have also set up strong Wi-Fi networks because they cannot rely on India’s 4G networks for a seamless internet experience.
Why Vi does not expand the availability of VoWi-Fi calls
So, this is a question I do not have an answer to. Maybe it’s because it has such limited funds at its disposal that it can either expand the 4G network, deploy fiber, or do other things before it can invest in expanding Wi-Fi calls.
One thing that is quite visible here is that Vi does not prioritize the South Indian states for Wi-Fi calls. Customers in that region can only rely on the mobile network to make voice calls. Vodafone Idea has received a lot of help from the Indian government. The telecommunications company’s fear of going out of business should be gone by now. There are still areas that Vodafone Idea needs to work on.
Adding new customers should be the priority on the list of targets. Without new 4G customers, the growth in ARPU (average revenue per user) would be quite limited and this would negatively affect the company’s overall revenue in the long run.
With almost half of 2022 over, Wi-Fi calling is a service that every Indian should be able to get from his / her telecommunications operator. Vi is far too behind its competitors in this field and this should be a point of concern for the company.
By rapidly expanding the Wi-Fi calling service, Vodafone Idea will be able to address some of the issues facing its users across the country. Customers do not have to tell the telco every turn what they want and then wait for years to see that their wishes come true. Vi has a lot to find out to keep its customers happy with its mobile services.
